Anywhere With You ? {J.C.}

||Forty-Two|I Don't Care||

"I know there's things you don't like talking about, but just hear me out, okay?" Fab insisted.

Harlow knew exactly what he wanted to talk about—he'd already mentioned the band, which meant only one other thing remained—the thing she hated talking about more than anything... Julian.

"What about him?" Harlow spat, a little too harshly.

"He's not doing too good. We're supposed to go back on tour soon and... he's already told our manager that if he has to do a consecutive tour like the last one, he's gonna kill himself. He's not in a good head space, his girl just left him-"

"Not my problem." Harlow spat again, wishing she had more control over her disdainful mouth.

"He wants to see you-"

Her snarky laugh cut him off. "That's not happening."

"He wrote you a song."

"I don't care. So... this is what you brought me out here for? To tell me that Jules wants to see me?"

"Not exactly." Fab swallowed hard. He reached into the pocket of his jacket, pulling out an iPod with white earbuds wrapped loosely around the compact rectangle. "He just wants you to listen to it. He's gonna put it on the record, but he wants your approval first. It's not gonna be like last time."

Harlow's eyes narrowed, holding out her hand for the iPod. "So he admits it, some of those songs were about me."

Fab watched as Harlow unwinded the headphones, placing the earbud in her ear. She'd never used an iPod before, completely oblivious as to how one worked. She had stopped listening to music around the time Julian had begun creating his own.

"Press the arrow, right there. Put both in." He demanded, causing Harlow to roll her eyes, doing as told.

"I can't listen to this while you're just standing there staring at me."

"Sorry." Fab turned around, strolling toward a tree away from the bench.

She sighed, closing her eyes to feel the cool breeze sweep by. She wasn't sure if she was ready, but knew it was the least she could do. She didn't have to talk to Julian, she didn't have to face him, she just had to listen.

"I don't wanna waste your time
I don't wanna waste your time
I just wanna say
I've got to say
We worked hard, darling
We don't have no control
We're under control

I don't wanna do it your way
I don't wanna do it your way
I don't wanna give it to you, your way
I don't want to know

I don't wanna change your mind
I don't wanna change the world
I just wanna watch it go by
I just wanna watch you go by
We were young, darling
We don't have no control
We're out of control

I don't wanna do it your way
I don't wanna do it your way
I don't wanna give it to you, your way
I don't want to know

I don't wanna change your mind
I don't wanna waste your time
I just wanna know you're alright
I've got to know you're alright
You are young, darling
For now, but not for long
Under control"

For the entirety of the song, Harlow's eyes remained closed. It wasn't that she had gotten lost in Julian's words—that she had blissfully been swept away by the not-so-innuendoed phrasing, it had been anything but cryptic. She kept her eyes closed because she was too nervous to open them—too scared to see if Fab could see through the pain she was trying to mask.

But the song was over, and so was her façade. She was strong enough not to cry, but what she had just heard had visibly taken an toll on her.

She removed the earbuds, wrapping the thin white cord back around the iPod. She stared blankly at the asphalt, crossing her legs. Fabrizio spoke, but her eyes never wavered. "Jules wants to see you."

"So he sent you to do his dirty work." She mumbled.

"He didn't wanna just show up if you didn't wanna see him-"

"Well, I don't." Harlow lied; it was becoming easier to do over the years—she had convinced herself of these things regarding Julian. She didn't want to see him, she didn't want to be involved, and she didn't care—but, it was all a lie. One big enormous lie she had tried to persuade herself.

"Why do you hate him so much? Wha- what did he do to you, anyway?"

"Don't act like you don't know." Harlow snapped.

Fab chuckled. "I seriously have no idea what your problem is with Jules. Every time he gets brought up, you find a reason to leave, you never wanna talk about him, you never-"

"I love him. I'm... in love with Jules. I always have been. And maybe he feels the same, but it's always too late. He's always too late."

"Well... can't you just tell him that? Tell him that... you've gotta boyfriend now and you're happy and-"

Harlow shook her head. "I can't. I can't see him."

"Why not?"

"Because if I see him, it's just gonna start over again." She spoke truly. All the emotions she had repressed would come flooding back to the surface. It was easier to be upset at him—at the situation—then it was to feel those feelings again.

"He's at the apartment... In case you change your mind. He'll be there all night."

Harlow thought about going to Julian's apartment. The idea was tempting, to see an old friend again. But she remembered that Julian wasn't just a friend—they had history. A history of always ending up in bed whenever they were alone together. But, things were different now—Harlow was in a committed relationship; she was even living with Tyler now, the situation was different.

"I'll think about it." Harlow lied. There was nothing to think about—she never wanted to see Julian again.

.::A/N::.
I'm sorry this is so short—it's essentially a set up for the next chapter. But the truth is, I have written this chapter three different ways and I'm completely unhappy with all of them, including this one. I thought about taking the safe route in the way I'm going to end this, considering how the characters have developed—this isn't exactly where I imagined them in the beginning. But I'm not gonna chicken out; I'm going to follow through with the way I originally intended to end this.